An opinion poll conducted by NDTV in partnership with Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) found that only one in three voters in Karnataka is aware of the political battle over the death of Tipu Sultan, the 17th Century ruler of Mysore. Among those who are aware, only 29% feel raising the issue is justified.
The BJP in Karnataka has been raising the issue of Tipu Sultan since the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah marked the former ruler’s birth anniversary nearly eight years ago. Recently, the party juxtaposed its icon VD Savarkar against Tipu Sultan, leading to provocative comments from both sides of the political divide.
In March, the BJP tried to show support for the politically powerful Vokkaliga community by upholding claims that it was not the British and Maratha army, but two Vokkaliga leaders who had killed Tipu Sultan. However, historians have scoffed at the idea. The survey found that 74% of those interviewed believed that the political tussle over the issue has led to communal tension in the state.
The survey also revealed that BJP supporters are more likely to justify raising the issue of Tipu Sultan, while those opposed to it are tilted in favor of the Congress. The Vokkaliga community, which has traditionally supported the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular, has so far not taken any clear position on the issue. Leaders of both parties have maintained that the men supposed to have killed Tipu Sultan, Uri Gowda, and Nanje Gowda, could have been fictional characters.
The survey, which aimed to gauge public mood ahead of the May 10 election in Karnataka, interviewed 2,143 voters spread across 82 polling stations of 21 assembly constituencies. The sampling design adopted was multi-stage systematic random sampling or SRS, which means that the constituencies, polling stations, and the people interviewed were all randomly picked.
